Many of you (as me) eagerly waited for my return to the Sigma Acoustics factory premises in Italy, that is located very close to the iconic Venice landscape. The reason? Well, there are few of them… Certainly one of the most important reasons was the listening evaluation of the Sigma Acoustics Maat flagship speakers, but this time with the upgraded Duelund crossover (RS series and silver bypasses).
We all knew, how Duelund capacitors can bring substantial sonic uplifting, but none of us expected this kind of performance shift. Everything extended on the frequency spectrum and the music was playing for us, rather then shouting at us (as its too often case with big setups). But the speaker/crossover upgrade were just one part of the “package”. The other reason for the stand out experience, was the all new Ubiq Audio Unique ultimate integrated amplifier.
This unique and out of the box DAC/AMP is also hiding under the hood, large custom Duelund capacitors, highly regarded MSB Technology Analog DAC, 3 kW power supply, special/optimised amplifier modules designed by electronic wizard Andrej Lakner etc. Let me tell you. The Ubiqu sounds as good as it looks. It won’t be exactly affordable once it hits the market, but think of it as a true Buggati of high-end audio integrated amplifiers. It was not designed as a electronic part saving project as witnessed within even most expensive amps…
This time it was all about lock & load match with Sigma Acoustic Maat speakers. Maats and Ubiqu have exhibited extraordinary synergy and the real world drama, where the music’s momentum was first and foremost of realistic scale and highly involving part. What I’m missing in even the most glorifying ultra high end speakers is the human part, where you can actually recognise some of the interaction, that happens in the live concert.
When the musicians become more then a glimpse and music more then just a sum of mechanical and electrical inter-workings, then the faux reality morphs into a lucid experience, where high-end audio system present enough density and anchor points, that can portray not only grander sonic illusion, but introduce the human touch; actually feeling of musician being there in time and space. As simple as this might sounds, this is nowhere easy to achieve on any level.
I was lucky enough to experience this particular – mighty/potent combination of Sigma Acoustics Maat speakers and Ubiqu integrated amplifier. The impact still lingers on and I’ve wrote down quite few additional and constitutional remarks, that will be published in due time. Yes, it was something special!
As Aldo Zaninello (owner of Sigma Acoustics) told me, his proud flagship creations rivals Magico and Wilson upper echelon speakers and especially in Asia Maat already found quite few homes in the listening rooms of demanding audiophiles and music lovers. From what I’ve experienced this time, I can certainly understand why. Its not only about the custom made speakers’ drivers, first order crossover, but the way the Maat’s are designed and voiced. Aldo is designing high-end audio loudspeakers for over thirty years and if you didn’t know, he was the chief designer of the unique ribbon/plannar Leonardo Speakers – loudspeakers.
Of course different people are looking for different priorities and at the end of the day it also comes down to the system synergy. Some audiophiles, music lovers and high-enders spent decades or lifetime to achieve the desired perfection. On the ultimate plane, the task is really not that easy…
The most important lesson learned? To continue keeping my mind open, explore new grounds (products) and never judge book by its cover.
Hats of to both Aldo Zaninello and Igor Kante for their extraordinary products. These creations are the sum of love for music, love for high-end audio reproduction and painstaking quest for perfection.
If you’re operating at this level and plane of non ordinary, do try to experience this combo. It might change you. It has certainly changed me!
Matej Isak